Congratulations to Heather Valey, the winner of my Spotify Playlist Thing!

There were lots of great submissions, and I enjoyed spending time with so many of your favorite songs. Many of the playlists pay homage to my modern synthpop roots. Some are pure radio pop, while others are all over the map. A couple are 100% Color Theory, and one has 615 tracks!

I picked Heather’s because 1) it introduced me to several great artists, 2) it flows really well, and 3) it’s the kind of stuff I actually listen to, and would love for my music to fit in with. And it does, in this playlist at least.

As promised, I recorded myself saying Heather’s name and mixing it into the song as gracefully as possible. I captured the entire process as a screencast for your amusement. It wasn’t exactly quick and easy, so grab an ice cold beverage before hitting play. I suggest you watch it on YouTube fullscreen at 1080p so you can read what’s on my screen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H7Ueev–kc

Here is the winning playlist! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Ever made a playlist? It’s a simple drag-and-drop affair. Create one that includes at least one of my tracks, and I may just say your name, out loud – in my latest song!

No doubt you’re wondering – is this song so weird that I can get away with saying random stuff in the middle of it?

Yes, it is. We may look back on it together and laugh at the worst Color Theory track ever recorded, but it will definitely be on my next commercial release, scheduled for late May.

Let’s not get too carried away though. I’m not going to cut out the music mid-chorus, clear my throat, and enunciate your name clearly into the mic. It’ll be snuck in, chopped up, and processed with several effects a la T-Pain or Skrillex. Regardless, I’ll let everyone know where it is, and you’ll recognize it as your name. We’ll have fun with it, promise.

What is Spotify? It’s a simple and totally free way to listen to pretty much any song in recorded history from your desktop (or phone for $9.99/month). I personally prefer the US-only MOG for its superior audio quality, but Spotify has the largest reach. It’s not available in every country yet, but most fans can participate.

Here’s how:

1. Create a Spotify playlist with 10 or more songs, including at least one of mine.
2. Right-click your playlist name in the left menu and select “Copy HTTP Link”.
3. “Like” Color Theory on Facebook if you haven’t already.
4. Paste the HTTP link in a Facebook status update tagging Color Theory (start typing @Color and it should pop up).
5. Make sure that the “Color Theory” text in your update is blue and clickable, or I won’t see it!

On Friday, May 11 I’ll select my favorite playlist from the dozen or so with the most subscribers. It should go without saying that putting your name in my song has no monetary value, but there it is anyhow.

Here’s one I made as an example, with some of my favorite “nap music”.

You guys loved Leadboy’s remixes of Song Named After a Girl and The Rule of Tickles, and this one may just be even better. It’s available for free download for one week. [update: it's been a week, so you'll have to wait for TLR2 - see below]

While I’ve got your attention, there are three new Color Theory releases on the horizon:

The Lost Remixes, Vol. 1 features previously unreleased remixes of material prior to The Sound. It’s ready to go as soon as I get cover art.

Adjustments, Pt. 1 will feature five new originals plus five remixes of those tracks, and maybe a couple other remixes. I’m nearly finished with song number 4 out of 5, which means we’re still on track for a May release. I can’t wait for you to hear these songs!

The Lost Remixes, Vol. 2 will feature remixes of material from the last album and upcoming EP, including all three Leadboy remixes. June or July seems likely.

Songtrust, a registration and royalty collection service that I recently signed on with, posted a short interview with yours truly this morning. We discuss how I got started, my proudest moments (I just realized they only asked for one – ha!), what inspires me as a songwriter, and my ignorant choice of ASCAP over BMI.

Read and comment here.

I run a tight ship here at colortheory.com. My ultra-minimal design doesn’t leave a lot of room for… well, information. Fortunately, Thomas Hanewinkel has that covered at the newly launched ctmusic.de. He has been my right-hand man on all things CT for over a decade now, and created the site and all its content without any input from me. The Color Theory fan site features:

• A full playable discography broken down by category, with unique downloads
• Complete lyrics, both in English and translated to Thomas’ native German
• Promotional photos, album artwork, and videos
• A detailed band history and personal bio of yours truly
• A FAQ long enough to spawn a Color Theory trivia game
• Info on Thomas, a guestbook, and more!

The catch? It’s entirely in German. But through the magic of Google Translate, you can view the site in English using this link.